


Touch Me Like a Razorblade

by ShawneeXSavage



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-05-29 04:38:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15065291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShawneeXSavage/pseuds/ShawneeXSavage
Summary: Being the unofficial hero for the resistance, what could possibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been neck deep in this fandom since the game came out. So, here's my input.

If someone would have told Junior Deputy Selah Moon that she would spend the majority of her summer fighting a cult and setting shit on fire, well, she would have called you _stupid_. Yet, here she was, in the middle of June, running from a gunfight in the back woods of Montana, a steaming pile metal going up in flames in the distance.

“…should’ve never taken that fuckin’ transfer outta Atlanta. This bullshit layered on top of some bullshit.” She poked her head out from around the front of the truck she was using for cover, cursing to herself when a bullet whizzed past and splintered the wooden fence post behind her.

“YOU’LL PAY FOR YOUR SINS!” Selah rolled her eyes at the empty threat, reloading the gun in her hands, before taking in a deep breath, and stepping out from behind her cover. She sprayed bullets in a wide arc, and though it wasn’t as accurate as she would have liked, it got the job done, each cultist falling one by one.

Crouching back down behind the large wheel of the truck, Deputy Moon slowly sunk down until her ass hit the hot pavement below her, heat rippling through her bloodstained jeans, the holsters strapped to her thighs digging into her skin uncomfortably. She tugged at the red flannel that stuck to her back, peeling it off the tops of her shoulders, flapping it lightly to try and get some airflow. Though it wasn’t nearly as bad as the summers down in Georgia, hot is still hot, especially when you’re running around constantly.

The deputy sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes momentarily, before pushing herself off the ground and out from behind the truck. She jogged over to the bodies of the slain cultists, hands nimbly rummaging through pockets, and pulling weapons off of them.

“ _Jesus Dep, you’re gonna catch the zombie plague or somethin’ doin’ that!”_ Selah snorted thinking about what her best friend had told her the first time he saw her removing things from corpses.

“ _That’s not how it works, Sharky.”_ After safely tucking the extra bullets into her pack, as well as another handgun down the back of her pants, Deputy Moon stood, stretching her arms up over her head and leaning back slightly, twisting her body from side to side.

This arrest was supposed to be a simple extraction. Go in, grab Joseph Seed, then fly back to Missoula and let the Feds take care of the rest of it. _This_ wasn’t supposed to happen. The Deputy knew she was on the right side of the law, _most of the time_ , but as of late she felt like an outlaw. Always looking over her shoulder, hiding in the tree lines, and waiting until nightfall to do most of her travels. She wasn’t going to lie to herself, the Project of Eden’s Gate definitely had the upper hand on her, and it was wearing her thin.

‘ _Deputy, do you copy?’_ Selah glanced down at the radio that was clipped to her side, her bandaged hands fumbling with it momentarily, before she pulled it up to her lips, warm breath fanning over the plastic.

“I hear you loud and clear, Dutch, what’s up?” She slowly started making her way back towards the truck she took cover behind. It belonged to the cult, but a nice truck is a nice truck, and she wasn’t in the position to be choosy. Hell, it could act as a bit of cover as long as no one looked too hard through the windows.

‘ _Just here to warn you, you’ve been causing a lot of ruckus out there. You’re catching the eyes of the Seeds. They’re not too happy with the damage that you’ve done.’_ Selah hummed to herself quietly, fiddling with the radio, before adjusting it to one the Peggie’s station, turning the volume down low.

The Deputy never stayed in one place too long, bouncing from Holland Valley, up to the Whitetail Mountains, and back towards the Henbane River. It was in her blood to bounce from place to place, a coping mechanism, her therapist had called it. She just liked the change of scenery every once and a while.

“Thanks for the head’s up, Dutch. I don’t plan on staying her too much longer, probably gonna head back over to the Henbane and see if I can’t find that veterinarian that Sheriff’s been goin’ on about.” She turned the keys in the ignition, the truck humming to life, before she pulled it out of park, and turned down the road, the cab bouncing as she ran over the bodies of the dead cultists.

‘ _Just keep yer head on a swivel, kid. Rumors goin’ around that that sadist John Seed has it out for yer head.’_ Selah grimaced down at her radio.

_John Seed._

She had only seen the main briefly when she was in the church arresting Joseph, and then his little broadcast with Deputy Hudson. And, what she had seen and what she had heard about the man were two completely different people, apparently. She didn’t pay too much attention to him at the church, her wide eyes focused solely on the middle Seed sibling, his haunting gaze behind those colored lens, still burning into her soul.

But, when she had saw the broadcast that he had sent out, well hell, she could understand the appeal that some of these Peggies had. For one, the man was a damn _dream_ to look at. Dark hair, a thick, neatly trimmed beard, and those _eyes_. Jesus, it was like looking into the clear Montana sky.

The guy was a dreamboat, to say the least.

And, the way he talked, she could feel his charisma washing over her from the screen. She never did understand how TV evangelist where able to dupe people into their hairbrained schemes, but after watching that broadcast three or four times, she could get behind the idea.

The guy could sell you a pile of shit, and you would be kissing his boots in thanks.

But, the stories that Dutch had told her? Even Nick and Mary May, well, they painted John Seed in a completely different light.

“ _That man is a sick fuck. He gets off on hurtin’ people. Betchu he has a hard on every time he baptizes someone.”_ At first, Deputy Moon just thought that Nick was being extreme, exaggerating a little bit. But, his stories lined up with those of Mary May, and even Austin, the local mechanic down in Fall’s End who lost his baby sister to Eden’s Gate. So, she was wary of the youngest Seed, to say the least.

“I read you, Dutch. I’ll make sure to keep my eyes peeled for old Blue Eyes.” She swears she could hear the veteran snort over the radio. She’s been told many times from the locals around here, that she had an old soul.

“ _Someone yer age shouldn’ be listenin’ to music from my generation, kid.”_ She remembers eyeing Dutch the first time she met him, after he pulled her out of the river. She was thumbing through his record collection, hands stopping when they landed on a Frank Sinatra record.

“ _Well, what kind of music am I supposed to be listenin’ to?”_ She remembers watching the smallest smile tug at the corner of Dutch’s goatee.

“ _I dunno. That weird ass EDM music, is that what they call it?”_ Selah snorted at the memory. She hated today’s music just as much as Dutch did. Her grandparents had influenced her in her music choice, listening to albums from the 50’s all the way to the 90’s. She dabbled slightly in the heavier genres of the early 2000’s, but she never managed to bridge the gap to what they currently played now.

“ _Music today sucks. Don’t even try to fight me on it.”_ And, no one did, really. Apparently, everyone in Hope County lived in their own little bubble, where cults ran rampant, and the outside influence of shitty music never pierced through. It was a blessing and a curse, really.

The Deputy had even realized that she was pulling into Fall’s End, until she was already parked outside of the Spread Eagle. Shaking her head momentarily, she gathered her items and stepped out of the truck. Leaving the keys inside, because, honestly, it wasn’t even her truck to begin with, she walked straight through the door and made a beeline for the room upstairs.

“I’ll have you a beer ready when you come back down, Deputy!” Selah threw a smile over her should at Mary May, who just waved her on up the stairs. Selah disappeared into her small makeshift room, peeling off her flannel and toeing off her boots, before stepping into the bathroom. She showered quickly, not one for the luxury of it all, before she quickly re-dressed and made her way back down to the bar.

True to her word, Mary May had an open bottle sitting on the counter for her, which Selah scooped up quickly, and down half of it in a single gulp. She slid into the open seat at the end of the bar, away from most of the patrons who were fighting for Mary May’s attention. Though Selah was considered something of a local legend in Fall’s End, she hated the attention. She hated people, for the most part, but being stranded in a place where you seriously needed to rely on your neighbor, well, she was slowly but surely changing her tune.

“So, where’re you off too next? I know you can’t stay in one place for too long.” Selah glanced up at the striking blonde in front of her, who was grinning down at her with a relaxed smile. Mary May knew how to make people feel welcomed, that’s what made the Spread Eagle a safe haven for so many. That, and it was the only place that served beer.

“Probably, back towards the Henbane. Sheriff wants me to go find some vet that wondered off.” Selah brought the bottle back up to her lip, finishing the beer off, while another was slid back in front of her. Mary nodded her head slowly, removing the empty bottle and tossing it in the trashcan behind the bar.

“It’ll probably due you some good. I’ve been getting’ word that John’s real hellbent on getting his hands on you.” Selah frowned at the woman in front of her, taking another pull from her beer.

“Ya know, you’re the second person’s whose told me that. And, I’m startin’ to wonder where y’all are getting’ this information from.” Selah held the accusatory tone from her voice, but her paranoia and suspicions were running rampant. How was it that everyone knew that John Seed was just itching to dig his claws into her, and she had no idea?

Mary May raised her eyebrow to her, before going back towards the end of the bar and grabbing a radio. She fiddled with the dials on it as she made her way back over, placing it in front of the Deputy.

‘- _and so, don’t you worry, my brothers and sisters. We will soon have the sinner, the Deputy, in our loving embrace and we will show her! We will show her the power of the word Yes! And, we will pull forth all of her sins, and have her atone. She will join us on the path to Eden’s Gate, and she will be welcomed into the Garden with us- ‘_

The Deputy stared down at the radio dumfounded, mouth open and closing like a fish, while Mary May just stood behind the bar, dish towel in one hand, a smirk on her lips. The Deputy eyed the radio momentarily, before looking back up at Mary May.

“…what channel is that on?” Mary May barked out a bit of laughter, before pulling the radio away and smiling over at the Deputy.

“That’s currently being broadcasted on Channel 8, its been on loop now for about 5 hours. Pretty sure it’s just the Peggie’s news station or somethin’ like that.” Deputy Moon nodded her head, eyes still squinting at the radio that Mary May had moved, ears catching bits and pieces of John’s charismatic voice.

“…you wouldn’t happen to know his personal channel, would you?” Mary May’s eyebrows shot up at this question. She stared down at the Junior Deputy with a long and hard look, taking in the woman. She was one helluva war machine, but Mary May still felt an uneasiness about her. She considered them friends, yeah, but she didn’t really _know_ anything about the Deputy, hell, no one really did.

“Why do you wanna know?” Selah glanced up at the blonde, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, before she downed her second beer and flung it towards the trashcan behind the bar. It clattered inside of it, smashing against the other bottles noisily.

“Well, I figured if he wanted to meet me so bad, might as well as extend him an invitation.” Mary May placed both of her hands-on top of the counter, staring down at the smirking deputy with wide eyes.

“That has got to be the stupidest thing you ever said.” Selah rolled her eyes, pushing herself away from the counter and making her way towards the door.

“You’ve obviously never heard me, Sharky, and Hurk ride together, have you?” Selah pushed her way out of the bar, breathing in the cooling air, before making her way towards her stolen truck. The door behind her smacked hard against the wood wall, a blur or green and blue barreling towards her.

“Please tell me you won’t contact him, Selah. _Please_.” The Deputy stopped mid-way climbing into her truck, staring down at a wide-eyed Mary May. It wasn’t often that the residents of Hope County used her first name, not that they didn’t know it, Selah wasn’t to worried about giving out her information.

Selah smiled briefly, before slipping into the truck and starting it up. Mary May made her way over to the driver’s side window, leaning into the truck, arms braced on the lip of the window.

“Honestly, Mary May, what’s the worst that could happen?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to guest, TakariGraham, Amanthera, and aven91for the kudos. I really appreciate it. I just started a new job, so I'm working on my update schedule.

There was in fact, a lot of things that could go wrong. One of them being that the truck that Selah had commandeered was an absolute piece of shit and broke down halfway towards the Henbane. Even though Selah grew up in the South, where people took pride in their vehicles, she didn’t know jack shit on how to fix them. Hell, she could barely change a tire, so when the truck bit the dust, she gave up on someone driving by. I mean, there was a damn _holy war_ going on, its not like that many people were on the road.

 _And, if they were, they were more than likely trying to kill her_.

So, with a heavy sigh, she hiked her rifle up over her shoulder, and started making her way towards Sharky’s abode. Given where she was when her truck broke down, it’d probably be a good 4-hour trek, give or take if she ran into any issues along the way.  And, _yeah_. She could call someone on the radio and have them pick her up, _but it was also like, one o’clock in the morning and she wasn’t THAT big of an asshole._ So, she just made it her goal to trek along the road, and hopefully she would get to Sharky’s before the sun came up.

The second thing that could’ve gone wrong, was Selah was utterly _bored_ on her hike. She hated the silence, couldn’t stand it. She always had to have background noise, whether it be music, the TV, _whatever_ , she needed something to keep her mind occupied. And, crickets were just not cutting it. Which led her to fiddle with the radio that was attached on the side of her hip, until she clicked over to Channel 8, and the soothing voice of the Father, _Joseph Seed_ , echoed quietly against her side. It wasn’t her ideal choice, but what else did she have?

So, there she was, the unofficial leader of the resistance, walking down the side of the road, listening to the cult leader of the Project at Eden’s Gate, preach a sermon. _About her._ It was all very odd for her.

The third thing that could’ve gone wrong, was that someone _or something_ were to stumble upon her and make her travels _all that more difficult._ Thankfully, that didn’t happen. She wandered peacefully down the side of the road without a care in the world, no Peggies, no wild animals, just her and the quiet chatter coming from her radio.

It’s the fourth thing that really fucked her up in the long run. About 2 hours into her hike, her radio started going wonky. Static started cutting in between Joseph’s long-winded spiels, and though Selah wasn’t _really_ paying attention to what the middle Seed was saying, she _was_ aggravated at the disturbance. She yanked the radio off her hip, eyes glaring down at the black plastic rectangle in her hand.

“What the fuck is goin’ on with you, huh? This channel is supposed to reach all across the county.” What Selah _wasn’t_ expecting, was for the radio to actually _answer her back._

“ _There have been rumors that out dear Deputy is out there, listening to the way of the Father. And, while that is sweet news to the ears of our brother’s and sisters, I feel that it isn’t **good enough**. The Deputy needs to hear from one of us directly, not a recording. So, I implore you, Deputy, if you’re out there, and you’re listening. Switch over to Channel 13, I would love to hear from you.” _ Selah stared down at the radio with wide eyes, her hand shaking slightly.

_Was that…Was that fuckin’ John Seed?_

One, how in the _fuck_ did he know she was listening in on this channel? News traveled fast in Hope County, and it reminded her all too much of high school and how quickly shit would spread.

Two, _what the fuck was John Seed doing up at 3am?_ Selah had basically trained herself to only run on 3-4 hours a sleep a night, but John Seed seemed like the kinda guy who needed at least a solid 10 hours, before he could properly _atone_. Selah continued to stare at her radio, mouth open. She _knew_ what she needed to do. She needed to switch over to Dutch’s channel, radio him, _despite the time_ , and tell him what the fuck was going on. He would probably send Jess or Grace her way, and then all would be right as rain.

Selah clicked the radio over until it landed on the channel she was looking for. Her finger hovered over the button on the side, fingertip pressed lightly into it, not hard enough to make the call go through. Selah closed her eyes, sucking in a breath, before pushing down on the button hard.

“You rang?”

The radio was quiet, disturbingly so, and it made Selah go on edge. She slowly started creeping her way back down the side of the road, radio pressed tightly in her hand. After about 5 minutes of silence, she huffed in annoyance, going to attach the piece of plastic back to her hip.

“ _Ah! Deputy! How nice that you were able to receive my message!”_ Selah practically jumped out of her skin, grasping at her heart. It thudded loudly beneath her ribcage, and she sucked in a noisy breath, exhaling loudly through her nose. She glared down at the radio, as if it was the man himself that almost made her piss her pants.

“Well, it’s kinda hard _not to_ when you’ve been broadcasting it over almost every channel.” Selah dropped her hand back down to her side, letting the radio hang loosely in it. She heard it crackle back to life almost immediately.

 _“I’m sure you’re aware that **lying** is a sin, Deputy.” _ Selah huffed out a small laugh, pulling the radio back up to her mouth, finger fiddling with the button, before she pushed it down again.

“Well, go ahead and add that one to the list, then. I’m kind of stockpiling them at the moment.” The radio went silent again, but Selah could practically feel the words ready to tumble from the other side of the radio. She had just opened the metaphorical can of worms.

“ _That is **exactly** what I plan to do, Deputy. Your sin, it stains your soul. I’m here to pull it out of you, to remove each and every one, piece by piece, until you are whole and pure again._” The excitement in John’s voice was a little off putting, like he was talking about going to see his favorite sport’s team play (which honestly, he didn’t look like a _sport’s_ guy). Selah winced at his words.

“That’s probably gonna take a hot minute, I dunno if you’ll have time to fit me into your busy schedule.” Selah smirked down at the radio. She liked to think she was funny sometimes.

“ _Don’t worry, Deputy. I’ll make sure I have all the time in the world for you._ ” The purr to John’s voice immediately wiped the smile off Selah’s face. This was going into some dangerous territory, territory that Selah wasn’t sure she was all that ready to cross into yet.

“Why, Mr. Seed, if I didn’t know any better, it sounds like you’re actually looking forward to seeing me.” The radio went quiet again, and Selah stopped walking in the silence of it all. Her eyes shifted nervously around her in the darkness, her paranoia creeping up on her like and unwanted friend.

“ _Don’t call me that.”_ Selah stared down at her radio, confusion written across her face. She thumbed the button, pressing down and opening her mouth, releasing the button and squinting at the radio harder.

“I’m sorry, what?” She kept the radio close to her mouth this time, her warm breath fanning across it.

“ _Mr. Seed. Don’t. Call. Me. That.”_ Now, Selah may have been an asshole, but she was a _considerate_ asshole. She read the Book of Joseph (research purposes, _obviously_ ) so she had an inkling to the background of the Seed siblings, she wasn’t about to prod at those old wounds.

“Yeah, okay, I got it. My bad, dude.” The static from the other end was immediate, a low groan echoing throughout the quiet Montana night/morning.

“ _That pyromaniac Boshaw is having a nasty effect on your grammar, Deputy. I believed you were smarter than that.”_ Selah scoffed at the man’s condescending tone, his mood flipping from one extreme to the other.

“Okay, one, not all of us got a fancy schmancy college education like you did, lawyer-boy. And, two, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sounded jealous.”

“ _You don’t know any better._ ” The response was so fast, that Selah couldn’t help but laugh. The deadpanned way that John Seed had said that, it had her clutching her sides. Everything was always funnier in the middle of the night. Selah wiped a few stray tears from her eyes, fingers pushing down on the radio once again.

“Alright, alright, if you say so.” Selah clicked off, before immediately clicking back on, her mind racing.

“What are doing up anyway?” There was silence, Selah continued her way towards the trailer park, she knew what stretch of road she was on, she gave herself about 45 minutes to an hour before she reached Sharky’s trailer.

“ _I could ask you the same thing, Deputy.”_ Selah grimaced at the way the John said that word. _Dep-yoo-tee_. He drug it out for far too long and put too much emphasis on certain syllables.

“Now, we both know what I’m doing up. If I try to make any moves during the day, _somebody_ has planes trying to shoot my ass sky high.” She wasn’t expecting that chuckle to rumble through the radio, but low and behold, there it was. A _damn_ , did it sound nice.

“ _You do have a point there, I will admit.”_ Selah sat there for a moment, waiting for a response. After a minute or two, she pressed down on the button.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“ _And, what question was that, my dear?”_ Selah sucked in a quiet breath, a quick jolt shooting down her back.

“Why are you up so late?” The silence engulfed her again, as she made her way up the winding driveway that led to Sharky’s home. She made her way up the trail slowly, her feet dragging.

“ _To answer your question, I knew this would be the only time you would be actively listening to our stations. I had to reach you somehow.”_ A smile broke across Selah’s face as she saw the outline of Sharky’s trailer. She wasn’t sure if it was from the arrival at her destination, or what she just heard over the radio.

“You stayed up for little old me? Sounds like you really _do_ like me.”

“ _It is the will of the Father that you receive his message.”_

 _“_ Yeah, no. Don’t go blaming your brother for this. This was totally you and you alone.” Selah plopped down on one of the lawn chairs that was wrapped around the makeshift fire pit that Sharky had in his front yard. She leaned back, stretching out her sore legs, shoulders and back popping.

“ _If that’s what makes you sleep better at night.”_ Selah grinned down at the radio again. John Seed sounded _flustered_ , and not his normal, _‘I’m going to carve our sins out of your chest_ ’ flustered. This one was different.

“I’m gonna sleep like a doll tonight, John. It was such a pleasure talking to you.” Selah was about to switch the radio off, when John Seed’s voice seeped through the Montana night.

“ _Goodnight, Deputy. I’ll talk to you again soon.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to silverwolf51, Super Deep V-neck, SnowAfterFire85, My_Dear_Watson, Polarbaroness, SophieGraceJ, guests, AudreyXuan, and LemmoLamp for the kudos and comments. Y'all are the reason that I keep writing.

_‘I don’t like the way he talks about you, Moon. It gives me the heebie jeebies.’_ Selah rolled her eyes, ignoring the sickening crunch behind her as her heterochromatic feline companioned chomped down on the arm of a deceased cult member. Her eyes scanned the sky, catching a glimpse of the yellow sea plane as it dipped behind a row of tall pine trees. She stretched back, her hands braced behind her, legs sprawled out in front as she sunbathed under the hot Montana. She tilted her head back slightly, hair cascading down her back, before she pressed all her weight on one hand, using the other to grab the chunky mass of plastic, pulling it to her lips.

“Nick, I’m pretty sure he talks like that to everyone in Hope County. Don’t think I’m all that special.” She grimaced at the sounds behind her, turning her head slightly, before whipping it back around, taking a big gulp. She loved Peaches, don’t get her wrong, but whenever the cougar ate, it made her sick. The cat had no manners whatsoever.

‘ _Nah, nah. Yeah, John spouts his usual ‘atonement’ and ‘cleansing’ but it’s his normal sadistic and psychotic way. But, with you, well, he talks like he wants to bend you over a table and fu- ‘_ Selah quickly pressed the button, cutting off whatever vulgar thing the pilot was about to say.

“Do you kiss Kim with that mouth?! Jesus, Nick!” She could practically hear the cackling from the sky as the plane reappeared from behind the trees, flying towards the Rye & Sons airstrip.

‘ _How do you think I managed to get Kim to marry me in the first place?’_ Selah scoffed, rolling over and pushing herself off the ground, dusting the dirt from her ass and grabbing her pack from beside her. She looked over towards her companion, who had finished her meal and was now sprawled out, a deep rumble rattling her chest. Selah made her way past the half-eaten remains and rubbed her hand lovingly over the mountain lion’s head.

“Who’s a good little kitty? You are! You are the best kitty in the whole entire world!” Her voice was high pitched, cooing at the wild animal like a domestic house cat. The cat in question peaked open her golden eye, watching the junior deputy for a moment, before she continued to purr, rutting her head up against the deputy’s open palm gently.

‘ _I’m serious though, Moon. John Seed has an odd fascination with you. An’ that just doesn’t sit well with me.’_ Selah walked through the open field, making her way towards the edge of the surrounding forest, hoisting her bag a little higher onto her shoulder.

“Says the guy who had all his baby crap stolen from the guy. Sounds like he has more of an obsession with you than he does with me.” Selah turned her head slightly, catching Peaches silently stalking beside her. It was scary sometimes, that this murderous cat was on _her_ side. Before Miss Mable bequeathed Peaches to her, Selah had an unfortunate run in with a mountain lion. Her leg still ached from where its claws dug into her thigh, before she managed to beat the thing off her with a shovel.

‘ _Me and John Seed have history. Y’all don’t, which make its all more alarmin’.’_ Jumping over a fallen tree, Selah landed with an ‘oof’ on the other side, her tank top riding up her back slightly. She tugged it back down, bandaged hands smoothing over the sweat stained garment, before she looked down at the compass that was attached to her bag and adjusted her direction.

“I didn’t know y’all had history.” The line was silent, and Selah didn’t press on the matter. Nick Rye was the first person that she met, outside of Dutch, who wasn’t immediately trying to gun her down. He needed help getting his beloved Carmina back, and Selah had taken just enough flying lessons back in Georgia to get the thing back in one piece. Though, she really hated flying. Fear of heights and all that jazz.

But, Nick Rye was her first friend, him and his wife, Kim, opening their arms to the wayward deputy like they knew her for their entire life. He was her confidant, the shoulder she leaned on when the holy war got too much for her, and the only place she _really_ felt comfortable sleeping at. Don’t get her wrong, she slept many a night at Boshaw Manor, but she woke up every other hour in fear that the entire place would randomly combust.

‘ _When the Seeds first came to Hope County, they were normal, ya know? Jacob volunteered at the vets center up in the mountains, Joseph did charity work throughout the entire county, and John planted himself in that big ass ranch right outside Fall’s End.’_ Selah nodded her head, though the pilot couldn’t see it. She didn’t hear the whirr of the plane engine anymore, so she assumed he had landed his plane and not that he was falling out of the sky, _again_.

 _‘He came to me after a couple weeks, asking about my airstrip and stuff. Said he wanted to bring his plane by but wanted to make sure it was cool if he used my landing strip. We kinda hit it off from there, common interests and whatever. I hate to say it, but we ended up being pretty close. Even invited him and his nut job family over for our barbeques. I told you the mac n’ cheese story, right?’_ Selah clicked on to give her ‘mhmmm’, so the man knew that she was listening.

‘ _Yeah, well, then shit started getting’ weird. They’re stupid cult started growing, the Seed’s starting diggin’ their nails into whatever they could, and shit started goin’ downhill fast. John tried appeasin’ to us, ya know? Said that he could help us out, all we had to do was give up the airfield. My airfield! The one that’s been in my family for years! So, I told him to fuck off, and now here we are.’_ The line went quiet again, and it was at this moment that Selah realized that she had quite moving. She was enraptured by Nick’s story.

…and, her heart hurt. Not just for Nick, but there was a small niggling in her heart for John Seed too. Both men, had lost a friend. Both probably felt betrayed by one another, and Selah couldn’t help the feeling over wash her. She always felt that she was an empath.

“I’m sorry, Nick. I had no idea that that had happened.” Her words seemed to echo in the vast forest, her eyes cast down. The cougar beside her looked up at her, her eyes shining with some kind of feeling. Selah smiled down at the wild cat, rubbing her hand between the cat’s shoulder blades, before they started moving again.

‘ _Don’t be sorry, kid. I dodged a bullet with that shit. Just wish he’d give my baby shit back. Nick Jr. would’ve loved half of that stuff.’_ Selah let out a small puff of laughter, Nick always had a way of taking a tense situation and making it light again.

“I’m pretty sure Kim’s told you that y’all are havin’ a girl.” She could hear the man huff from the other end of the line, before he spoke again.

‘ _I’ll be happy with whatever we have, I’m just sayin’ that I have a very strong gut feeling that it’s gonna be a boy. And, my gut is hardly ever wrong.’_

“Rye, I can think of multiple occasions where your gut has been _very_ wrong.” The laughter that echoed from the other side of the radio wasn’t that of Nick’s, but of a woman.

‘ _You got that right, sweetie.’_ Selah felt her heart warm as the voice of Kim Rye flooded over the radio. She could picture the petite Asian woman, round belly and all, teasing her husband and riling him up. She really needed to go back over there soon to see her.

“How you holdin’ up, Kimmi? Nick better be waitin’ on you hand and foot when he’s there.” She heard the protest from the line and couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across her face. Her eyes danced over the surroundings in front of her, before she took a sharp left and walked a little bit faster.

‘ _Eh, he’s doin’ okay, I guess.’_ Selah heard a distant shout, before Nick’s voice came booming back over the radio.

‘ _Okay nothin’! I rubbed this woman’s feet for an hour last night! And, do you know what I got in return? Five minutes of my back being scratched, that’s it!’_ Selah heard another shuffle, before Kim’s shrill voice echoed throughout the forest.

‘ _What my husband forgot to mention, is that I also sucked his dick earlier that day, and that’s why he initially gave me the foot massage in the first place!’_ Selah spluttered, her hand flying to her mouth as she heard Nick’s indignant cries from over the radio.

“Alright, alright. Well, that’s enough story telling for today. Nick, thank you for patrolling the area for me. Kim, let me know if you start havin’ contractions or whatever. Deputy Moon over and out.” Selah switched channels, immediately clipping her radio to her hip. Her eyes scanned the area she was in, before she saw a small clearing and started walking towards it. Peaches moved silently beside her as they made their way out of the edges of the woods, the sun now starting to slowly descend behind the Montana mountains.

Selah looked at the dirt road beneath her feet, tracing it with her eyes, taking in the old white fence that lined it. Her eyes focused in on the letters that lined the side, the white ‘Y’ ‘E’ ‘S’ practically glowing in the setting sun. Selah shot a smile towards the cougar who was currently licking at her paw.

“Let’s go make a house call. Whatta ya say, Peaches?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to anon, IvyMarquis, tlegacy, Svart_Jade, aligerum, ColonelSMoran, guests, rubywritesstuff, theworthierking, and MonsterJinx for the comments, and kudos.

“Are you freakin’ kidding me?! He’s not even here!” Dramatically flinging herself across the plush bed, Selah let out a low groan, burying her face into the soft comforter of John Seed’s bed. Yep, that’s right. Deputy Moon had managed to sneak into Seed Ranch, practically undetected, ( _Peaches may or may not have gotten ahold of a guard, Selah wasn’t quite sure yet_ ), and the man of the household wasn’t even _here_.

Rolling on to her back, Selah looked up at the ornate antler chandelier that was hanging above the large wooden bed. Her fingers dug absentmindedly into the soft plaid comforter, her eye twitching slightly, before she groaned again, sliding off and onto the pristine wood floors. She already sneaked around the entire house, peaking in all the rooms, even the room that was locked at the end of the hallway, which held a _ton_ of model airplanes and Selah actually _squealed_ at how cute it was.

But, the excitement wore off when she realized that the man who owned all those adorable tiny planes, was no where on the premise. Which, honestly, was probably a blessing in disguise, because Selah had no idea what she was going to do if the man was actually there. The deputy let out a loud sigh, stomping down the stairs, eyes taking in all of the stuffed animals scattered around downstairs. Her heart lurched a little bit when she saw the bear rugs, her mind wandering if they were somehow related to Cheeseburger, before she shook her head and made her way to the back door.

She eyed the phone on the long wooden dining room table, replaying the message that she had heard over in her head.

“ _You need to open up your heart. You need to see that there is more love all around you.”_

Selah felt her heart tighten a little bit more, her grandparents had always told her that she was an empath. Caring about others too much, letting their problems become her problems, trying to fix people who obviously didn’t want to be fixed.

It’s the reason that she ended up in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, why she was now the so called ‘leader’ of the Resistance, why she had been drugged, half brainwashed, and nearly drowned. Because she cared more for others than she did herself. She glanced at the papers that were scattered around the phone, a small grin tugging at her lips, before she pulled out the chair and sat down with a thud. She pulled a piece of paper towards her, tearing off the bottom half that didn’t have anything written on it, and stretched across the table to swat at a pen.

She smiled down at the note she wrote, reading it over once, twice, before she nodded her head in confirmation and rose slowly. She glanced around the room, trying to find a good place where her note could be easily seen. She eventually shrugged her shoulders, grabbing a piece of tape from the table, and making her way to the front door. She taped the note onto the glass of the door, placing her hand on her hips, satisfaction coursing through her.

She made her way back towards the back door, peering around the corners and checking for guards. She could hear them yelling further down the hill, and she took her chance and booked it out the door, down towards the woods on the side of the house and disappearing out of sight. Deputy Moon had no doubt that Peaches could take care of herself, hell, she was a damn mountain lion, the cat would be fine.

Once she was at least a mile away, she fingered her radio clipped at her hip, toying with it a bit, before clicking it on and raising it to her lips.

“You know, honestly I expected more out of you.” It only took a second before a smooth voice crackled over the radio.

‘ _And, what exactly where you expecting, Deputy?’_ Selah couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across her lips. She knew that she was playing with fire, she wasn’t dumb. This was a horribly twisted game of cat and mouse, but it was a game that she loved every minute of. She was a glutton for punishment, her past had showed her that.

“I was expecting you to be more modern in the styling of your home. Didn’t realized you decorated your house from that one section in Hobby Lobby.” The line was silent, and Selah didn’t realize she was holding her breath until her head began to swim. She took in a lungful of air, eyes dancing along the road, watching caravans of trucks drive by.

‘… _you were in my home?’_ Selah sucked in a breath, attempting to steel her voice and keep it from wavering.

“Well, I mean you, I thought I would pay you a visit, but imagine my surprise when you weren’t there.” Selah let her southern accent dip a little bit, drawing it out like she lived in the Antebellum period. Her eyes continued to scan the road, the number of cars starting to decrease as the sun began to sink behind the horizon.

‘ _Ah, if only I had known you were coming by. I would have made sure to be there when you dropped in.’_ John’s voice was a smooth as velvet, sending a single jolt through the deputy. A small smile tugged at the edge of her lips, her finger pressing lightly into the radio.

“Oh, don’t worry. I made myself at home. You have a very comfy bed. And, that plane room is cute.”

‘ _Ah, so you were on my…. wait, what? Plane room?’_ A triumphant smirk took over Selah’s face. Hook, line, and sinker.

“Oh yeah, totally. That room at the end of the hallway upstairs, with all the planes? It was freakin’ precious, I tell you what. I took pictures and everything.” She could hear the sharp intake of breath from the other end, like the man had forgotten to take his finger off of the button.

‘ _…that door was locked, Deputy.’_ Selah rolled her eyes, an Eden’s Gate truck pulling into the long driveway of the ranch.

“I picked the lock.”

‘ _Why would you pick the lock to a door that was…you know what? Never mind, it’s fine.’_ She could hear the anger coloring the edges of John’s voice and she let out a chuckle into the darkening night.

“Don’t worry, Blue Eyes, I didn’t touch anything. I have more manners than that.”

‘ _Says the woman who broke into my home and went through my things.’_ Another Eden’s Gate truck pulled down the driveway, swerving slightly at the high speeds that it came in at.

“Not really breaking in when it’s a suspect’s house and you have probable cause.” She heard the quiet huff of what sounded like laughter on the other end.

‘ _Oh, I’m a suspect now? I guess I’ll have to represent myself then, hmm?’_ Was he cooing at her? It sounded like he was cooing at her.

“That’s probably a little unfair, because I heard you were like, a hotshot lawyer. You’d probably get off scot-free.” Another two trucks swerved down the long driveway, gravel flying up behind them.

‘ _What else do you know about me, Deputy?’_ The purr across the radio had Selah’s cheeks flushing slightly.

“I know that you’re sending way too many people over to your house right now. I’m not in it anymore.”

‘ _Ah, but you’re close, aren’t you? Were you waiting for me to come home?’_ After another truck flew down the driveway, Selah made her way further into the words, away from the Ranch and the shouts that were starting to echo through the night sky.

“Full of yourself, huh? How do you know that I don’t have surveillance on your house? I’m not even in the Valley anymore.” John hummed across the line, the sound of a car down slamming in the distance.

‘ _You’re too curious for your own good, Deputy. Besides, how do you know that I don’t have the woods surrounding my house surveillance as well?’_ Selah froze then, eyes darting up towards the tops of the trees, before she started jogging in the general direction of Fall’s End. Selah didn’t speak for a while, dipping under branches and making her way through thickets of brush, until she saw the water tower at Fall’s End.

‘ _It’s funny, Deputy. You know so much about me and my family, yet we know hardly anything about you. Why is that?’_ Selah was panting when she pulled the radio to her mouth, her hot breath puffing against the speaker.

“Y’all never ask. You just take first. Maybe if y’all asked nicely for shit, it’s just manners.” The line was silent again as she huffed again, making her way down the main road, eyes darting around the houses. She could hear the music playing at the Spread Eagle, a gentle smile gracing her face.

‘ _Would you be forthcoming if I did?’_ Selah stopped at the mechanic shop at the edge of the road, leaning heavily onto the chipped siding.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out, huh?” Selah rolled her head from side to side, cracking her neck, pressing the button down and speaking before the youngest Seed could.

“Ask me tomorrow, Blue Eyes, I’m a little beat from hightailing it away from your house.”

‘ _So, you were still there? You know, curiosity killed the cat, Deputy.’_

“Satisfaction brought it back, John. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I gotta show Hurk these photos of your plane room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I am so sorry for the wait. I hit a real snag with this story, and just couldn't get the motivation to write. I jumped that hurtle, so hopefully updates won't be as sporadic. Thank you to everyone who continues to stick with this story, I may not be able to respond to all of you, but just know that I greatly appreciate all of your input. A special thanks to JayeGalifrey, guests, anon, Belochop, AzraDanse, ashalili, hellacopter, BrainFellOut, GemmyLouLou, Maylin, LastAstronaut, and wildberry9 for the kudos and comments. Thank y'all so much for supporting this story.

_‘…-eputy……Dep-…. -ou hear m-….’_ A quiet groan rolled out from the woman, whose face was pressed tightly against the sticky wooden bar. Hand slapping on the counter lazily, a small ‘ _oof_ ’ resonating when she made contact with sweaty skin, Deputy Moon dragged the radio to her lips, voice cracking as she spoke.

“Hn.” Selah cracked open one eye slowly, closing it quickly as the world around her spun, head pounding in time with her heartbeat. She slowly rolled her head from one side to the other, forehead pressed against the sticky counter, before she slowly lifted it. Her hands gripped the edges of the counter tightly, the bandages that where wrapped around her palms digging into her skin harshly.

‘ _There you are, Dep. I was worried about ya.’_ Selah blinked slowly, eyes squinting at the assault of light on her retinas. She glanced towards her left, seeing Hurk Jr. passed out beside her, body practically falling out of the bar stool he was propped up in. Soft snores escaped the man’s open mouth, the sound grating against the Deputy’s ears.

“No worries, Dutch. What’s up?” Gingerly, Selah slipped out of her own seat, scowling as she glared around the now empty bar. From what she could see, there was no one else in the bar. She stumbled around the bar, stomach rolling at the sight of all the liquor behind it, before she pulled open the mini-fridge hidden away from the patrons and swiped a bottle of cold water. She unscrewed the lid, chugging half of the bottle, before she involuntarily dry heaved.

‘ _Got a call in from up north. Eli and the Whitetails have been losing footing up there since you made your way back to the valley. Seems like they could really use your guidance back up there.’_ Selah groaned, wiping the corner of her mouth, before nodding her head slowly. She eyed Hurk for a minute, before pulling a napkin from a stack on the bar and a sharpie from behind. She scrawled a note to the man, before she slipped in the crack of his elbow.

“Yeah…yeah. Okay, I’ll try to be up there by the end of the day.” Selah eyed her water again, taking a cautious sip, her stomach rolling again as the cold liquid made its way down her throat. She shuffled out of the Spread Eagle, shielding her eyes from the sun that was slowly starting to peak over the horizon. Any other day, she would’ve marvels at the beauty of the sun peaking over the Montana mountains, but today she was hungover, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and forget all about this damn ‘Holy War’.”

‘ _Alright kid, I’ll let Eli know. When you get into his radio range, make sure you give him a call.’_ Selah clicked the button on her radio twice, signaling to Dutch that she got the message, but that she was too lazy to actually respond with words. She eyed the generic ‘mom’ sedan that was parked out in front of the Spread Eagle. She really didn’t feel like hiking _all the way up the damn mountain,_ and, to be far, _she was like the only Deputy in Hope County who wasn’t captured._

That thought sent a cold shiver through Selah, her mind digging its heels in to stop her from going down that _dangerously_ dark path. She shook her head, stumbling towards the sedan, the door opening with ease. She bent over slightly, fidgeting with the wires beneath the steering wheel, before the car hummed to life. She backed out lazily, fingers twisting the volume down on the radio, until she was left in total silence. She began her slow drive out of town and towards the mountains, because she didn’t care _how bad_ Eli needed her, she was not about to speed towards certain doom.

Out of all the regions she had to go to, Selah hated the mountains the _most._ She hated how cold it got up there, she was from the south and damnit, _she didn’t handle to cold well_. Also, the Seed brother who occupied that area was _scary as fuck_. Torture? She could handle. Drugs? Not very fond of it, but she had enough sense about her to get by. But, being completely fuckin’ brainwashed into killing? Yeah, she wasn’t too fond of that.

She didn’t know what possessed her to switch over to that _certain_ channel on her radio, but she did. Maybe she was still drunk? She was a lot nicer drunk than she was sober, so she was just going to assume her brain wanted her to be _nice_ and let John Seed know she was leaving his area.

Which was fuckin’ stupid, because _hello_ , he’s the enemy.

“Did you get my note?” She groaned the minute the words left her lips. Sonofabitch. She glanced at the radio, eyes dancing over the time flashing back at her.

_6:47 am._

She wouldn’t be surprised if Blue Eyes was sti-

‘ _Ah, Deputy. Why, yes, I did. How nice of you to leave it for me.’_

…well, maybe he was awake.

“…good. Good, was hopin’ I put it somewhere you would see it.” She swore she heard a low chuckle from across the line, but maybe she was just hearing things. Who knew.

‘ _Ah, yes. Well, you did leave it taped to my front door. Wasn’t that hard see.’_ Selah hummed to herself, thankful that the man on the other end couldn’t see the blush crawling up her neck and over her cheeks. She was blaming that on her hangover, as well as the clenching in her stomach. _Totally from the hangover._

 _‘…is that the only reason you contacted me, Deputy? To make sure I got your note?’_ Selah swore she could hear a slight edge in John’s voice, a slight mocking that she almost…enj-

_No._

“Actually, no. It wasn’t. I was wondering if you could tell me a little something about your brother.” The line went silent for a minute, and Selah sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. She took a left onto a winding road, that led her towards the mountains. It wasn’t _too_ early in the morning, but apparently it was early enough to avoid all of the cult’s roadblocks.

‘… _which one?’_ Selah released a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding.

“Jacob. Goin’ up towards the mountains, wanted to make sure I had a good conversation topic in case I ran into him.” Which was a _total lie_. Selah didn’t want to see that behemoth of a man ever again, if she could. She had basic knowledge of the eldest Seed, thanks to the ‘Book of Joseph’, but she knew that there was more torment that went behind that man’s crystal eyes then that book would ever let on. Hell, she could see it in all of their eyes.

John let his show the most, the pain of his life shining brightly in his ocean eyes. Jacob was next on the list, his were a _lot_ more guarded, but you could still see flashes of pain every now and then. And, Joseph? Well, Selah believed that the reason he always wore those ‘Loathing in Las Vegas’ glasses was so that no one could really _see_ the pain. But it was there. _It was always there_.

‘ _And, pray tell,_ why _are you going up to the mountains?’_ Selah could hear the hard edge in his voice, like he was biting out the words. A small smile crept across her face.

“Why, John, I didn’t know _green_ looked so good on you. Figured you’d just stick to your blues.” She could hear the man blustering across the radio, and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud in the quiet car.

‘ _Cute, Deputy. But I’m actually far more interested in your intentions in the mountains than your intentions with my_ brother _.’_ Oh yeah, there was definitely a bite to his voice now, and Selah couldn’t stop the involuntary flutter in her chest.

“Now, where would the fun be in that? Can’t have you runnin’ to big bro to tell him all of my secrets. That’s no fair at all.” The radio went silent, the only sound Selah could hear was the wind whipping against the car.

‘ _…what are your secrets, Deputy? I do recall in you telling that you would be forthcoming of that information.’_ Selah sucked in a deep breath, the conversation taking a turn into an area that she wasn’t quite ready for yet. But John couldn’t see the discomfort on her face or feel the blood in her veins turn to ice. And, she sure as shit would not _let_ catch onto that.

“Well, what do you wanna know?” The line went silent again.

‘ _…What’s your name? Your_ full _name?’_ Selah guffawed at the radio for a moment, staring down at it.

“…your serious? You don’t know?” The radio stayed silent, and Selah huffed out a laugh.

“What a waste of a first question…whatever. My name is Selah Rook Moon. It’s not like I was trying to keep it a secret, Pretty Boy.” The radio crackled to life immediately after her answer.

‘ _Sel-ah. Biblical, hmm?’_ Selah scoffed.

“You’re really one to talk about Biblical names, you know that?” This time she was sure that she heard his laughter echo across the radio. It wasn’t sharp, harsh like it had been when she listened to some taped ‘atonements’, but was smooth, like it wasn’t forced.

‘ _Touché. Now, why exactly are you heading up to the Whitetails?’_ Selah clicked her jaw shut, sucking on her teeth. She could see how John was a good lawyer now, asking simple questions, getting the person to start talking, then ask them what he really wants to know, before they realized they were blabbing.

“Ah, I think that’s for me to know and for you to find out, hmm? You want me to pass a message a long to your brother?” The radio was quiet, eerily quiet. It started to unnerve Selah, her heart slowly crawling up her throat.

‘ _You wanted to know something about my brother, Selah? Don’t let him get a hold of you.’_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and constructive criticism is always appreciated.


End file.
